What we come to understand today as the game of football, played and watched by millions across the world, began its real development in England during the Victorian era. This collection of writing edited by Paul Brown is drawn from library archives from such long-lost newspapers and periodicals as, Every Boy’s Magazine, The Dart and Chums, from 1863 through to 1900. It covers reports of games (including England v Scotland, 1872), articles from leading figures (such as, C.W.Alcock) and broaches topics such as “Association Football in Scotland”

For me it was a book best read article by article, so that the content of each of the twenty one pieces could be absorbed, appreciated and reread. One thing that is apparent when reading is the different style of Victorian writing and language used. I found it handy to have a dictionary close by when reading and had to stop myself on a number of occasions from thinking that this was some brilliantly written elaborate spoof.

Each reader will have their own favourite pieces, but for me I was totally absorbed by the report from the Sheffield & Rotherham Independent (15 October 1878) on the experiment of “…a match with the assistance of the electric light…” This incredibly atmospheric article from the game held in Sheffield tells the story of the first floodlit match some 70 years before it became a regular part of the football experience.

This book may chart the early more innocent years of football, but as the editor says in his introduction, it also includes “…tales of overpaid players, cheating, violence, legal battles an general bad behaviour…” which show that the game “…hasn’t really changed that much in the 150 years between the writing of the earliest of these pieces and their publication in these pages…”  Ultimately though it is a wonderful journey of discovery, allowing the reader an insight into the birth and growth of football through the eyes of those who were there in its formative years.

If you are looking for a thought provoking read and a different perspective on the beautiful game, then this anthology is for you.

More details can be found at http://www.victorianfootball.co.uk/

Having read the book and then attempting to write this review, I must admit I was unsure where to start. This was not because this isn’t a good read, but that the book covers so much ground, in so many styles and elicits so many emotions.

So let’s start with some basics. The book is 194 pages long and covers a time period between 1973 and 1998. It is divided into 9 sections – I’ve not called them chapters as some sections are no more than a single page, whilst others contain a collection of pieces.

In terms of writing style, these pieces cover the narrators life, with extracts from his homework as a child (in the fictional Scottish town of Breogan), through to journalistic articles from adult life. Detailed within the pages is the fictional story of the narrator growing up, going to school, his friends and family and the local football team Breogan Citadel. This is also interwoven with the factual, which ranges from the Scottish national football team and their trials and tribulations, to political events in South America and in the United Kingdom. It is a real story of compare and contrast, the parochial and the global. The book has a warm and resonance about childhood days that I can relate to. All I’ll say about the 1978 World Cup is that it provided a massive distraction to my O-Level year, much to the dismay of my parents. However, the cosiness of the childhood environment is shattered on a number of occasions by the realities of life at home and abroad, especially with events such as the atrocities in Chile and Argentina. The narrator within the book provides a summary with the following words. “…Football and politics frequently mix. No matter how hard we try, there’s no getting away from it. Shanks was wrong to separate football from life and death. They are all part of the same cog that keeps spinning generation after generation. It is the sum of its parts…” 

What I love about books is not just the clues that the content gives us, but what the title of the book or the cover may or may not mean. For instance the title, “Countries of the World” – on the one hand this is reference to the wonderful tome that the narrator in childhood uses as his source of information and window on the world. On the other it simply refers to the various countries of the world that come to be detailed through the World Cup years and political events the narrator writes about. Is there significance in the choice of name of Breogan? My old friend Wikepedia informs me that “…Breogán, Breoghan or Breachdan, son of Brath…was a mythical Celtic king from Galicia…” Presumably this is homage to Porter’s life in Spain. Indeed, why is the local football team not simply Breogan City, United or Rovers? Instead we have the intriguingly named Breogan Citadel. Is this in terms of the town being a stronghold, a castle or fortress, a refuge or sanctuary?  I was also curious as to whether the picture adorning the front cover of the book had meaning. The border of the cover showing various flags reflects the title, “Countries of the World”, with the main cover photo featuring Cathkin Park (by Brian Prout). The image shows a worn goal-mouth and posts, whilst in the background remnants of a terrace can be seen amongst the trees. The football reference and relevance is that this park in Glasgow was home to Scotland’s oldest club Queen’s Park (1884 – 1903) and Third Lanark from 1903 until the club folded in 1967. Does it symbolise the death of a club?  It is about the past and dreams lost? Or it is simply a great football image?

For me the book is like a great night out with your mates. You don’t want it to end – it has made you laugh, made you cry, made you think, made you reflect and ultimately has left an impression.

This was a new experience for me, as it was the first time I had read an eBook. My initial conclusion is that I’m not a fan of the technology. It feels a cold experience and was too much like reading documentation for work. Perhaps over time, if I read more books in this way then my opinion may change, but for now, give this old-timer a ‘real’ book in all its many paged glory. Despite my reticence towards eBooks, I want to say that in no way did it affect the way I approached reviewing The Long Way by A.E.Greb (Wholepoint Publications).

There are many aspects of the book that appealed to me. Firstly, I liked the premise of The Long Way. The author, Ashley Greb “accidently” fell into attending an FA Cup game in the Extra Preliminary Round which then developed into a “plan” to embark on the journey of the 2011/12 FA Cup by the longest possible route in attending a game in every Round and a Replay. In total this amounted to 26 games – a remarkable feat. Secondly, it reinforces the message to those who believe that the FA Cup only begins in January each year, that the tournament actually starts in August, when non-league clubs start out their journey in the Extra-Preliminary Round. Lastly, I loved the scoring system, the Ground Hopper Rules that the author introduced, including my favourite, “…Moral Issue. All games involving MK Dons carry a serious moral dilemma (45% of gate receipts go to each club playing in the tie). An alternative game may be preferable…” The various rules ensured that this journey was not that of other FA Cup trails, where a team is selected from the opening Round and the victors followed all the way to the Final.

In terms of content, the book consists of a brief piece about the author, a foreword, including contributions from FA Cup winner Ian Selley and commentator, Martin Tyler and then pieces from the 26 games in the journey, finishing with some stats, an Appendix and link to photographs from the all the fixtures. The opening game saw the author travel to the Leg O’Mutton Field as Cobham took on Bagshot Lea on 19 August 2011 and ends at Wembley on 05 May 2012 as Chelsea overcame Liverpool. The ‘blog’ style of writing comes comfortably to the author, and this combined with his witty observations makes this an enjoyable read. Whilst providing details about the games attended, Greb also provides his thoughts on the modern game, in relation to areas such as sponsorship, the influence of the Premier League and how the FA Cup has been devalued in the modern era. The stats and Appendix provide some interesting reading, including “the numbers game” which details Round-by-Round, the number of clubs involved, the number going out and the Leagues entering at which stages. Also at the end of the book there is a link to the pictures that the author took throughout his journey. It could be argued that this is an advantage of an eBook in that there is no restriction on the photographs able to be loaded and viewed. Whilst there are some excellent pictures amongst them, for me, there are just too many to look at.

On a personal level I would have liked to have had more detail about how the author obtained tickets for the later stages of the competition, as traditionally these are the fixtures where other FA Cup journeys struggle. However, this is a minor point in an enjoyable jaunt through the 2011/12 FA Cup.